This is the third consecutive year SHW Group’s design has won the award

HOUSTON, November 2SHW Group Logo4, 2008 – Andy Dekaney High School, which opened in August 2007 in Houston, Texas, has won the prestigious 2008 Caudill Award, the highest architectural honor awarded at the Texas Association of School Boards’ and the Texas Association of School Administrators’ annual convention. The campus was designed by SHW Group, one of the largest educational architecture and design firms in the U.S, while Gilbane Building Company served as the general contractor.

As part of the 2008 School Exhibit of Architecture Competition, the school was selected from among 97 school projects that are required to be a public education facility in the state of Texas and substantially completed between September 1, 2003, and January 1, 2008. The winner of the Caudill Award must exemplify excellence in design, innovation, educational appropriateness, process of planning, sustainability and value.

An example of how construction can be used to impact instruction, the interior of the 486,000- square-foot building was designed to meet the needs of individuals. SHW Group’s design goal was to provide a learning environment not typical of most large schools, in which size impacts learning and affects students’ sense of community and belonging. Thus, a design was envisioned that would break the large school down into smaller learning academies and grade-level housing.

“This school has been built to house small, learning communities where students can receive personalized instruction and relationships can be developed among students and staff,” said principal Phil Eaton.

Inspired by the natural setting of the site, SHW Group developed the design concept of a mountain lodge theme. Lodge theme features include an entrance sign made of cedar and planks, local hand-molded bricks harkening back to another era, and galvanized stairs and handrails that wear and age richly while connecting each generation of students to the next. Connected by a “main street corridor,” the academic portion of the school is divided into four houses, with distinctive features such as wainscoting and varying wood types and door surrounds to foster each student group’s own identity. Other spaces along the corridor include a large group instruction area, auditorium, coffee shop, music, choir and arts halls, a black-box theater with traditional marquee, administration spaces, two practice gymnasiums, a practice pool, library and cafeteria.

Supporting a capacity of 2,500 students in the 9th through 12th grades, the high school is the result of a “visioning process” conducted jointly by the Spring ISD and SHW during the 2002 and 2003 school years. Members of the Board of Trustees, campus and central administrators, teachers and architects/planners participated in a four-month series of workshops to explore broad educational concepts. Among the topics discussed were the following: school and class size; the relevance and availability of technology; organization of educational programs and spaces; how instruction should be delivered; and security and maintenance concerns. The overriding concept was that “instruction should drive construction.” The results were formally approved by the Board of Trustees and the project was included in a successful bond election in September of 2003.

SHW is very familiar with the industry recognition as the firm has successfully partnered with other clients in designing Caudill award-winning schools in Texas, including McKinney High School, McKinney ISD (1985), Birdville High School, Birdville ISD (2000), Roy Lee Walker Elementary School, McKinney ISD (2001), Gloria Cisneros Pre-Kindergarten, Garland ISD (2006) and Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, Spring ISD (2007).

About the Caudill Award

The Caudill Award winner is recognized annually at the TASA/TASB Convention in honor of William Caudill, FAIA, and his distinctive, innovative achievements in the architectural field. The School Exhibit of Architecture Competition is a collaborative project of the Texas Association of School Administrators, the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Society of Architects that highlights new educational construction and renovation projects in Texas that have taken place over the past five years, and acknowledges excellence in the planning and design of Texas public-education facilities.

About SHW Group

Specializing in both K-12 and higher educational projects, SHW Group is one of the world’s largest educational architecture and design firms. More than just an architecture firm, the company is known for its comprehensive collaboration with educators, cognitive researchers and strategic planners to design innovative facilities that support the learning process. Founded in 1945, SHW Group has grown to nearly 400 employees and seven studios nationwide. For more information, please visit www.shwgroup.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Funds raised through tote bag sales to help replant trees lost to Hurricane Ike

Half Price Books LogoDALLAS (November 21, 2008) – More than 238,000 acres of trees were lost or damaged in 29 Texas counties during Hurricane Ike, prompting Keep Texas Beautiful and Half Price Books to create the “Replant Texas” initiative to help purchase and plant trees to replace those lost in the storm.

Half Price Books is donating 10 cents from every sale of its exclusive reusable tote bags, which retail for 98 cents.  The company has committed to donate a minimum of $15,000 to launch the program, which will be given to Keep Texas Beautiful on Earth Day, 2009.   There are six different bag designs to choose from, and purchases made at any of the 39 Texas Half Price Books stores will benefit the “Replant Texas” program.

“After the hurricane, we received many calls from our affiliates in the Southeast Texas area expressing their sadness about the loss of all the trees.  The “Replant Texas” program is the beginning of a long road to recovery, and we’re excited that Half Price Books has helped jumpstart the effort,” said Cathie Gail, executive director of Keep Texas Beautiful.

Half Price Books designed the program to benefit Texas in two ways: along with replanting trees, the company is taking an active stand through its B(eco)me Bagless campaign to reduce plastic bag use among its customers, and hopefully help change consumer habits to decrease plastic bag use at all shopping venues.   The average person uses 336 single-use bags a year and an estimated 4 billion bags end up as litter each year.

“It’s our hope that this program will provide an outlet for Texans to help regenerate areas in the state washed away by Ike, and will also bring to their attention the litter and landfill problem that plastic bags create,” said Kathy Doyle Thomas, executive vice president for Half Price Books.

About Half Price Books

Half Price Books is the largest family-owned new and used bookstore chain, with more than 100 retail locations in 15 states. Stores are open seven days a week and buy and sell new and used books, magazines, comics, records, CDs, DVDs and collectible items. Half Price Books has been dedicated to environmental and literacy efforts for more than 35 years by supporting hundreds of projects including the annual Half Pint Library Book Drive, which provides hospitals, clinics and pediatric centers nationwide with book donations collected at all store locations. In addition, Half Price Books is a founding contributor to Laura Bush’s National Book Festival, as well as a supporter of the National Center for Family Literacy and Feed the Children.  For more information about Half Price Books, please visit www.halfpricebooks.com.

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Media Contact: Cooper Smith
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Lawry's The Prime RibWhat:   Lawry’s The Prime Rib’s Nouveau Beaujolais Dinner marks the
release of the Nouveau Beaujolais wines. The world celebrates
the release of these wines each year with France on the third
Thursday of November. The harvesting of the grapes took place
on September 8-22. Be among the first in Dallas to enjoy this
year’s vintage with Lawry’s and guest speaker Kim Merrill of
Republic Beverages. Featured menu items and wine pairings
include:

➢    Duo of Brie Cheese, glazed habanero-apricot and sugar cane baked
wedges of brie cheese; 2008 Georges Duboeuf Nouveau Beaujolais

➢    Coquilles Saint-Jaques, seared dry sea scallops with a blackberry
champagne sauce; 2008 Joseph Drouhin Nouveau Beaujolais

➢    Seared Veal Loin Au Poivre, with Vichy carrots and brown butter broccoli rabe; 2008 Laboure
Roi Nouveau Beaujolais

➢    Sweet Cream and Pistachio Kunafa, a rich pastry layered in shredded phyllo; 2006 Louis Jadot
Beaujolais-Villages

Who:    Lawry’s The Prime Rib has been serving Dallas, bringing excellent cuisine and personable service, for
25 years. Guests can enjoy featured dinner entrees such as Chilean Sea Bass, Rib Eye Steaks, Filet
Mignon and, of course, the Roasted Prime Rib that made the restaurant famous – from the smaller
California Cut to the larger Dallas Cut.

When:   Thursday, November 20, 2008
7 p.m.

Cost:   $69 per guest, plus tax and gratuity

Reservations:   Reservations are required by calling (972) 503-6688 or via email to
Nbrosseit@Lawrysonline.com with “Beaujolais” in the subject line.

Where:  Lawry’s The Prime Rib
14655 Dallas Parkway, Dallas, TX 75254
(Just south of Beltline)
(972) 503-6688
www.lawrysonline.com

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Media Contact: Cooper Smith
cooper@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Turner has also established a new greenhouse gas emission reduction goal through EPA Climate Leaders Program – the first in its industry

Turner LogoDALLAS, November 20, 2008 – Engineering News-Record has named Turner Construction Company the #1 Green Contractor in the 2008 Top Green Contractors list, which ranks United States contractors based on the number of sustainable and green projects they worked on in 2007. Turner Construction has a total of 429 LEED-accredited professionals and $1.8 billion in construction volume from 2007 projects registered with or certified by third-party rating groups under objective environmental or sustainable development standards. In Texas alone, Turner Construction employs more than 29 LEED-accredited professionals, 32 Green Advantage professionals, and provided construction services for 16 green projects in 2007.

Company-wide green initiatives that contributed to the ranking include the “LEEDing by Example” employee incentive, which encourages Turner employees to become LEED-accredited and enables the company to better fulfill its commitments to deliver on green building projects.  All Turner employees who become LEED-accredited are entered into a lottery to receive the use of a new Toyota Prius hybrid as their company-provided vehicle for three years.  Turner has also taken steps to green its fleet of company cars by offering more high mileage and hybrid vehicles and has established an environmental purchasing policy for all office supplies.

Turner has also made a commitment to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by five percent over the next five years. Turner, the first construction management firm to set such a goal, plans on achieving this by reducing electricity consumption in all offices and reducing fuel consumption in company-owned and leased vehicles. While reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, Turner also expects to reduce vehicle fuel costs and utility bills.

Turner established this goal through its membership in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Leaders program. The Climate Leaders program is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing an inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions, setting aggressive reduction goals, and annually reporting their progress to EPA. Turner was the first construction management firm in the United States to join the EPA Climate Leaders in 2006 and is the first to set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal.

Recent Turner Construction Company “green” projects in the North Texas area include the headquarters for architecture firm Corgan Associates Inc. (certified LEED Silver); Pat Lobb Toyota (certified LEED Silver, first green auto dealership in the U.S.); the Embrey Engineering Building at Southern Methodist University (certified LEED Gold; first green academic building in Texas); the Haworth Showroom in downtown Dallas (certified LEED Gold); and Wal-Mart’s new green prototype store in McKinney, Texas (the first green Wal-Mart in the U.S.).

ABOUT TURNER CONSTRUCTION

Turner is the leading general builder in the U.S., ranking first or second in all major segments of the building construction field. During 2007, Turner completed $9.6 billion of construction. Turner is the only builder offering clients a nationwide network of offices across the U.S. Founded in 1902, the firm is a subsidiary of HOCHTIEF, one of the world’s leading international construction service providers. For more information, visit Turner’s website at http://www.turnerconstruction.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

New director of design and creative director to champion firm’s culture of design

PLANO, Texas, NovemberSHW Group Logo 14, 2008 – SHW Group announces that Jim Luckey, AIA, LEED® AP, formerly principal of Smith Group and lead design architect in their Chicago office, has joined the firm as the new director of design.  Luckey is working in concert with Jeff Sharpe, AIA, principal and a lead designer for SHW, who presently serves on the firm’s board of directors and is the company’s new creative director. Together, this unique partnership is mentoring, inspiring and driving SHW’s creation of beautiful, high-performance learning environments.

“We are confident our new design leadership will positively impact our ever-evolving culture of ground-breaking design,” says Gary Keep, AIA, the chief executive officer for SHW Group. “Collectively, they bring more than 50 years of significant and award-winning education planning and design expertise to our firm. They are invaluable firm-wide leaders as SHW continues its global efforts to provide world-class design, planning and programming to local, national and international clients.”

Throughout his career, Luckey has demonstrated his talents in solving design challenges and creating significant architecture in a variety of sectors, including higher education, K-12 and health care. He has also worked as lead designer for a wide range of client projects across the U.S. that included budgets of more than $1 billion. Luckey is residing in SHW’s Michigan studio where he is designing some of the firm’s most complex higher-education projects.

Since joining SHW in 2005, Sharpe has led the creation and development of numerous award-winning educational designs in Michigan, Texas and Maryland. Sharpe is also the leader of the firm’s “Learning and Creativity” researching and benchmarking initiative that is continually studying how people learn and how we can successfully weave all the components of a campus together to create truly unique and inspiring learning environments.

About SHW Group

Specializing in both K-12 and higher-education projects, SHW Group is one of the world’s largest educational architecture and design firms. More than just an architecture firm, the company is known for its comprehensive collaboration with educators, cognitive researchers and strategic planners to design innovative facilities that support the learning process. Founded in 1945, SHW Group has grown to nearly 400 employees and seven studios nationwide. For more information, please visit www.shwgroup.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

Vernon G. Henry & Associates, founded in 1967, is Houston’s oldest land planning firm

TBG LogoHOUSTON, November 3, 2008 – TBG Partners, Texas’ largest landscape architecture and planning firm, has merged with Vernon G. Henry & Associates (VHA), an urban land planning firm established in Houston in 1967 by Mary Lou and Vernon Henry.  VHA’s current employees will be relocating to TBG’s Houston office, increasing the staff to 35 and enabling the company to significantly expand its portfolio in services such as comprehensive city and regional planning, site selection and land use analysis.  For development projects, the merger signifies enhanced integration of site planning and landscape architecture to create totally-integrated, cohesive environments.

“We are thrilled to add this great company to our TBG family.  Their depth of knowledge in the Houston community cannot be equaled, and their long track record of key clients and dedicated employees add so much value to our company,” said Bill Odle, ASLA, managing principal of TBG Partners’ Houston office.  “Vernon G. Henry & Associates is one of the most respected planning firms in Houston, and it is our top priority to maintain this reputation.”

Mary Lou and Vernon Henry have had substantive planning and urban consulting experience for both private developers and public agencies throughout the southern United States, Mexico, Japan, Latin America, Saudi Arabia and Western Europe totaling more than two million acres.  Both have had leadership roles with the American Planning Association (APA) and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and each has been inducted into the elite membership of AICP’s College of Fellows.  Mary Lou is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Planning Award from APA, and Vernon is former president of APA’s Texas-Louisiana Chapter.

“Mary Lou and Vernon will remain very active in the merged firm.  I’ve had the honor and privilege to have known and worked with them both for more than 30 years and look forward to incorporating their company’s extensive urban planning experience into our four Texas offices,” said Earl Broussard, founder and president of TBG Partners.  “The agreement we’ve come to is perfect because we share the same values – to provide extraordinary talent, superior service and consistent value to our clients.  VHA’s diverse experience will support our goal of creating great projects to enhance urban spaces, community interaction and an awareness of the land.”

ABOUT TBG PARTNERS

As Texas’ largest landscape architecture and planning firm, TBG Partners designs mixed-use and residential communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, resorts, healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic sites. With a strong commitment to the advancement of sustainable design principles, TBG encourages its employees to become LEED Accredited Professionals and its clients to utilize green building practices for their projects.  Established in 1987, TBG has offices in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.   For more information, please visit www.tbg-inc.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191